The present invention relates to a sighting mechanism for a firearm, having the following features:
a digital video camera that is arranged on a firearm parallel to its barrel and records a target sighting field,
a video screen that is arranged in the sighting field of a marksman operating the firearm and displays a target image that is recorded by the video camera,
a digital target distance meter,
at least one sensor for detecting measurable environmental parameters,
at least one sensor for detecting measureable cartridge and/or weapon parameters,
at least one biometric sensor for recognizing a marksman handling the firearm,
at least one memory module, in which encoded biometric data of at least one authorized marksman and/or ammunition data of ammunition that can be discharged by the firearm are/is stored; and
a digital computer unit having input interfaces for the distance meter, for the sensors, and for the memory module, and having an output interface for the video screen, whereby, aside from the target image recorded by the video camera, the video screen displays an information for the marksman that supports the aiming and is calculated by the computer unit as a function of the data that is incoming by the means of the input interfaces.
With regard to firearms for large shooting distances, e.g., rifles for shooting distances of 1000 m and more, it is difficult to achieve high hitting accuracy using a solely optical sighting mechanism, such as a sighting telescope. This is due, in particular, to various influences having increasing impact with increasing shooting distance. One influence is that the projectile travels along a ballistic trajectory whose course deviates increasingly from an imaginary straight line between firearm and target with increasing shooting distance. In addition, e.g., the wind direction, wind velocity, air temperature, air pressure, and air humidity exert an influence on the trajectory of a projectile. The type of ammunition used also influences the trajectory of the projectile; moreover, for the same ammunition, the cartridge temperature and barrel temperature at the time of discharging the shot have a noticeable role for the course of the projectile's trajectory. For the reasons stated above, it is useful to design the firearm and its sighting mechanism such that a correction in accordance with the existing circumstances influencing the trajectory of the projectile can be made.
A sighting telescope for a weapon is evident from EP 0 966 647 B1. Therein, the sighting telescope is equipped with at least one micromotor and a laser beam telemeter that determines the distance between the marksman and the target disc and transmits this distance to a computer that stores the perpendicular of the trajectory of the bullet at said distance in its memory, whereby said computer triggers the micromotor as a function of the distance thus determined and of the perpendicular of the trajectory of the bullet at this distance. It is further provided that the sighting telescope is attached to a horizontal rotational axis such that it can be swiveled and that the micromotor is placed such that it can swivel the sighting telescope about said horizontal rotational axis in order to vary the angle of the sighting telescope with respect to the axis of the weapon on which the sighting telescope is to be used in order to correct the elevation or depression of a shot with respect to a zero point as a function of the distance thus determined and of the perpendicular to the trajectory of the bullet in order to thus vary the position of the reticule of the sighting telescope from the original target point to the target point provided for said distance. Moreover, it allows a second micrometer to be placed such that it allows the sighting telescope to be swiveled about a vertical axis in order to correct the angle of the trajectory towards the right and towards the left with regard to a zero point, and do so as a function of the wind velocity and/or the motion of the target disc.
The sighting telescope described therein required a high mechanical effort since, on the hand, it has to be so smooth-operating while being exactly connected to the weapon that it can be re-adjusted exactly by the micromotor or micromotors, and, on the other hand, withstands the recoil forces upon the discharge of a shot without being damaged. These requirements can be met only through a high fine-mechanical effort which renders the weapon and the corresponding sighting telescope very expensive. Moreover, it is possible to correct for only some of the influences interfering with the trajectory of the projectile such that the hitting accuracy is improved, but not yet optimal.
A digital sighting telescope mounted on a small firearm is known form DE 101 05 036 A1. This invention provides that a screen replaces or supplements the eyepiece of the sighting telescope. Moreover, various forms of graticule can be selected or faded-in in this digital sighting telescope, whereby each selected and faded-in graticule is centered in the middle of the image and upon readjustment remains in the original middle of the image and, upon a change of program, the new graticule is centered to the position of the previous graticule and therefore the holding point remains unchanged, whereby an image with shot-tested stored graticule can be accepted into obtain a program. In the case of multi-barreled weapons, this is carried out for each barrel. Moreover, the invention provides that the digital sighting telescope can be mounted on multiple weapons, whereby each weapon is shot-tested with each graticule and thus data is obtained and stored.
This digital sighting telescope allows only influences to be corrected that are due to the different ammunitions cannot correct further influences, in particular influences of the external environment, such as the distance between the weapon and the target.
From DE 42 18 118 C2 is known a sighting a telescope equipped with adjusting organs that is attached to a rifle, in particular a hunting rifle. In addition, a distance meter is used. The invention also provides that a processor connected to a distance meter via a measuring transducer is attached to the sighting telescope, which processor comprises a replaceable chip card on its input side, in which ballistic parameters of the bullet used are recorded, and which, on its output side, is connected to an adjustment motor of the adjusting organ for effecting a vertical change of the sighting optics and to an adjustment motor of the adjusting organ for effecting a lateral change of the sighting optics.
As before, the re-adjustment proceeds by means of two adjustment motors of this known sighting telescope which necessitates a very high mechanical effort and leads to a high sensitivity to external mechanical influences.
From U.S Pat. No. 6,449,892 B1 is known a weapon, a rifle in this case, having a sighting mechanism having the features mentioned above. In this known rifle that is equipped with a computer, it is essential that additional information and communication options are to be provided to the marksman to support him during a mission. However, the sighting mechanism in this case disadvantageously comprises but a single sighting optics that is directed to be parallel to the barrel of the weapon and that is combined with a camera. Combination with a night-viewing device is also possible, if needed. The recorded image is displayed on a screen within the sighting field of the marksman. Processing of the image is not carried out in this context. Moreover, it is evident from this printed specification that data from the global positioning system (GPS), from a laser distance meter and from an azimuth and aiming height sensor is entered into the computer and used by the computer to calculate the coordinates of a selected target relative to the position of the sighting mechanism and weapon. These target coordinates are then displayed by the computer of the weapon on a display such as to be visible to the marksman. By this means, the marksman receives readable information that supports him in the process of aiming. However, the marksman must analyze and assess the data displayed to him himself and draw his own conclusions from the data displayed, i.e. in particular he must change the direction of the weapon accordingly. In order to adequately process the target coordinates or other information displayed to him, the marksman must be well trained and experienced in order to avoid making errors. It is another disadvantage that the quality of the image recorded by the camera that is displayed on the screen deteriorates, in particular, with the increasing target distances, which makes the aiming more difficult for the marksman.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,112 A is known a weapon with a corresponding sighting mechanism that utilizes two cameras. A first camera is arranged on the barrel of the weapon and its lens is directed at a marksman operating the weapon. A second camera is situated on a piece of equipment worn by the marksman, in particular a helmet, and directed at the target area. In this context, the cameras are directed such that each camera is within the area of recording of the corresponding other camera. A corresponding computer calculates a trajectory of the weapon from the data delivered by the two cameras and displays it optically on a screen that is situated within the sighting field of the marksman and displays only the image of the target area recorded by the second camera. It is considered to be disadvantageous that the image recorded by the camera gradually deteriorates with increasing shooting distances, which makes aiming more difficult, in particular over large distances. Moreover, no clues are provided herein as to how to take into account environmental parameters that influence the trajectory of the discharged projectile from outside. Accordingly, the sighting mechanism described in this document provides optical support to the marksman in the process of aiming in that a trajectory is optically displayed to the marksman, but high hitting accuracy, in particular at larger shooting distances, cannot be attained with this.